Artist, civic leader Schwartz dies

Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003 | 9:08 a.m.

Reva C. Schwartz, a Las Vegas artist who created award-winning pieces using the ancient Indonesian art form of batik and practiced the centuries-old craft of designing Judaic chuppahs, died Thursday at her Las Vegas home. She was 84.

Services were Sunday for the Las Vegas resident of 42 years who also founded the local Weight Watchers chapter and was a civic leader. Palm Mortuary, 1600 S. Jones Blvd., handled arrangements.

Schwartz utilized batik, an art form of melted wax on dyed fabric, to create prayer shawls and paintings.

One of Schwartz's neon blacklight batik paintings won Best of Show at the 1991 spring exhibit at the Las Vegas Art Museum. She also won third place out of 141 entries for her batik painting called "Universe 1942" at another local show.

The Las Vegas Art Museum also was the site of exhibits of Schwartz's hand-made chuppahs (pronounced "hoh-pahs"), Jewish bridal canopies that symbolize a couple's new life together. Chuppahs date back more than 5,700 years.

"The Chuppah is truly a work of art," Schwartz told the Sun in a Sept. 15, 1991, story. "It's a soft sculpture, a tapestry and an heirloom to hand down from generation to generation."

The chuppah traditionally is white with traditional patterns. Schwartz used vividly colored paints on white silk to create her chuppahs. One of her works depicts a young man and woman dancing around lit candles. Another shows a menorah in a sun rising over Jerusalem.

Schwartz's chuppahs have been held over the heads of brides and grooms at weddings from Las Vegas to Israel.

Born Oct. 4, 1919, in Canada, she settled in Las Vegas in 1961 and later established Weight Watchers of Southern Nevada and Southern Utah. Schwartz long served as the group's chief executive officer. Her radio commercials of the 1980s were up-tempo ads that implored people to shed unwanted pounds the Weight Watchers way.

As a civic leader, Schwartz was a member of the American Heart Association, March of Dimes, American Diabetes Association, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Aid for AIDS of Nevada, National Organization of Women and Overseas Rehabilitation Training.

She is survived by a son, Edward Werner of New Jersey; two daughters, Andreah Werner and Jessica Stockman, both of Las Vegas; a brother, Yaac Seuer of Portland, Ore.; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

The family said donations can be made in Schwartz's memory to the Young Israel Aish HaTorah.